Board appoints Assistant Attorney General Angie Rolando as special deputy county attorney for elder-exploitation sentencing

At the Jan. 15, 2026 meeting, the Big Horn County Board unanimously approved a resolution appointing Assistant Attorney General Angie Rolando as a special deputy county attorney to assist in the investigation and sentencing phase of an elder-exploitation prosecution (Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office Case 20-01425, State v. Blair).

County Attorney Jeanne Torske explained that the Elder Justice Program’s prior prosecutor, Michael (Mike) Fanning, had retired and that the Attorney General’s office assigned new counsel to the matter. The resolution in the meeting record names Angie Rolando as the appointed special deputy county attorney; it states the Elder Justice Prosecutor will charge no legal fees for attorney time provided under this appointment, while investigation expenses, witness fees, expert fees, jury costs and similar trial costs remain the county’s responsibility.

Commissioner Lawrence Big Hair moved to approve Resolution 2026-13; Commissioner Larry Vandersloot seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. The minutes include the resolution language and statutory citations governing the appointment (Mont. Code Ann. § 2-15-501(6) and § 2-15-502) as printed in the meeting packet.

What happens next: the appointment authorizes the Assistant Attorney General to act in the matter for purposes of sentencing and related hearings; the county will continue to cover usual trial-related expenses as described in the resolution.